Governance

The Australia Institute recognises its responsibility to maintain corporate governance practices that are robust, accountable and of a standard that meets the expectations of its stakeholders. The Institute’s board and its staff are committed to implementing high standards of corporate governance and will continue to work towards achieving this.

Our Board of Directors

The Institute is governed by a Board of Directors. All Directors volunteer their time, and receive no remuneration for serving on the Institute’s board.

Chair, Dr John McKinnon

Dr John McKinnon began his career in the finance industry. After holding several positions in funds management, asset consulting and superannuation consulting, Dr McKinnon co-founded the Australian office of Grantham Mayo van Otterloo LLC in 1995.

In 2005, Dr McKinnon joined overseas aid and development charity TEAR Australia, where he managed first the NSW office and then TEAR’s Australian operations. During this time Dr McKinnon completed his PhD in social enterprise and development, investigating the intersection of finance and poverty alleviation.

Deputy Chair, Professor Barbara Pocock

Professor Barbara Pocock is Emeritus Professor in the Business School at the University of South Australia. She founded and was Director of the Centre for Work + Life, at the University of South Australia 2006-2015.

Professor Pocock has researched work, employment and industrial relations for over thirty years and is widely published. She has worked advising politicians, on farms, in unions, for governments and as a mother and carer.

Directors

Dr Elizabeth Hill

Dr Elizabeth Hill is a Senior Lecturer, Political Economy at the University of Sydney.

Dr Hill's research focuses the political economy of gender, work and care in the Asia Pacific. She has published on women's work and collective action in the Indian informal economy, work and care regimes in Australia and the Asia Pacific, and employment policy in India.

Dr Hill is interested in how economic institutions shape women’s paid work, unpaid care and the care workforce – especially as they evolve in response to the dynamics of the national and global political economy.

Dr David Morawetz

Dr David Morawetz is the Founder and Director of The Social Justice Fund.

Dr Morawetz first worked as an economist specialising in the economics of developing countries, becoming an Associate Professor of Economics at Boston University. Dr Morawetz then studied psychology, and has spent the past 30 years as a counselling psychologist in private practice.

Dr Elizabeth Cham

Dr Elizabeth Cham was the National Director of Philanthropy Australia from 1996 to 2005. Prior to this, Dr Cham worked for several large Melbourne foundations including the Alfred Felton Bequest and the William Buckland Foundation.

Dr Cham is an advocate for the social importance of philanthropy, and was instrumental in bringing about changes in taxation laws which had functioned as a deterrent to philanthropy, and participating in consultations which led to John Howard's creation of the Prime Minister's Business Community Partnership designed to dramatically increase the amount of philanthropic giving. These changes have resulted in approximately 1,600 new foundations being established.

She was active in the establishment of the National Roundtable of Non-Profit Organisations, an independent, non-partisan group representing more than 20,000 NFP organisations across Australia, to facilitate consideration of regulatory, taxation and sustainable financing issues and coordinate engagement with the Australian community and public policy processes.

In 2017, Dr Cham completed a PhD on Australian grant-making philanthropic foundations that are administered by trustee companies. Dr Cham is an Associate Fellow of the UTS Business School.

Mr Josh Bornstein

He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law, University of Melbourne and Deputy Chair of the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board, Victoria.

Mr Bornstein writes about politics, economics, law, mental health, the world of work, bullying and climate change in publications including The Australian Financial Review, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, The Age, The Drum and Business Review Weekly. He appears as a panelist on ABC current affairs program, The Drum.

He is a regular speaker and presenter to industry groups, academics, the philanthropic sector, union audiences, lawyers and students.

Mr Andrew Dettmer

Mr Andrew Dettmer is the National President of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. Mr Dettmer is ACTU representative to SafeWork Australia, board member of the Industry Capability Network, and of Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA). He has been involved with international work for both APHEDA and the ACTU for some years, leading delegations to Vietnam and Indonesia. He is formerly a board member of the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency and of Enterprise Connect, prior to their abolition. He co-chairs the Future of Work, Education and Training/ Test Laboratories stream of the AiG Industry 4.0 Forum. He is a former State President of the ALP Qld branch.

As well as being involved in Australian Industry Participation policy and vocational education and training policy for many years, Andrew is also co-author of Educate, Agitate, Control, a history of the AMWU.

Ms Alex Sloan AM

Ms Alex Sloan is an award winning journalist and highly regarded interviewer, facilitator and MC. Ms Sloan has been a journalist for over 30 years, including 27 years as a broadcaster with the ABC.

During her career at the ABC, Ms Sloan was awarded a DFAT Travelling Scholarship to travel and report from Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. She is a current member of the ACT Architects Board and Director and Chair of the ACT Selection Committee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Ms Sloan was also a member of the ACT Placenames Committee (1997-2017) and ACT and NT Selection Panel of Australian-American Fulbright Commission (2007-2010).

In 2017, Ms Sloan was named ACT Citizen of the Year, and in 2019 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Research Committee

The Research Committee approves the Institute’s research priorities and activities which are funded from the Research Fund. Membership of the Research Committee is subject to the approval of the Australian Department of Education and Training and members are nominated on the basis of their proven ability to direct a research program, as evidenced by their academic qualifications and professional appointments.

The Australia Institute is the country’s most influential progressive think tank. We conduct research on a broad range of economic, social and environmental issues in order to inform public debate and bring greater accountability to the democratic process.